


Take Time

by miramontebirds



Category: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (2017)
Genre: Emotions, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 06:58:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18868096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miramontebirds/pseuds/miramontebirds
Summary: Although lot of misunderstandings and disconnections between them, there’re still somewhat sparkles.Red feels something and so does him.





	Take Time

 

 

 

After leaving the hospital, Red noticed that everything was somehow settled where it should have been.

The office was clean and tidy, and strangely no one had charged him for it. Mildred Hayes appeared to be released from the days of hatred, and the faces of those who were distressed as if they had been shouldered something heavy smiled again.

And the man, Jason Dixon, had the biggest change. It’s not just about appearances.  
Dixon, who has been extremely talkative, is no longer entangled in bars as he used to. Even though the way he drank was the same as before, it was doubtful whether he was drunk or not. With a shadowy atmosphere, he stays there for a few hours without doing anything in the dark and disappears.

“These days, he is always like that.” said James.  
  
“I thought it was so nice he got matured or something and not give you any trouble ever again, but recently it always makes me depressed.” he said. “This is even more disturbing.” he added, lifting up the bottle of beer.

“I’m not asking him about it.” said Red powerlessly.

Before Red knew it, all the money Red would spent in the bar was supposed to be charged on Dixon.Not only Red, but if he have a companion, Dixon covers all of them.  
Red was told this by the bartender and it was on the day of Red's discharge celebration. Bartender said “He insisted and so so stubborn.” The whole place, including people who were excited about some gossips of the racist cop were reigned by  hushed silence.

Red caught Dixon immediately afterwards and urged him to stop what he offered and told him there was no need for it at all, but he continued to be cursed. Some people said it was great that he can drink as much as he wants with someone’s money, but Red just felt uncomfortable.

Dixon is there again, sitting all alone at the corner of bar counter tonight.

 

“I’ll stop him tonight. I am serious.” said Red, turning away from James’ gaze and walked up to the man.

Red looked into the face of the man who would not see him. “I think you know how many times I’ve said that you don’t need to do this.So can you do that for me?I can’tkeep doing this.”

After a puzzled look and silence, he started to repeat the very same phrases, “Just one or two beers, is that so──”.

“If you keep doing this, I won't come here anymore, and won't talk to you anymore.“ said Red enthusiastically. “I won't see you anymore.”

After staring at Red with a puzzled look for a few seconds, Dixon, as if giving up, forced out “Got it.” His head drooped sadly.

“I’ve told you so many times, let’s just have fun here without what makes you gloomy or anything. This is the place to enjoy drinking and having fun with people.” said Red,then left the man there as he was and quietly returning to the pool table. Red hoped that his intention truly conveyed to Dixon. Otherwise, there was no point in using such a strong word.

Red told James, who had a serious face with a cue in his hand, what had happened. “I see.” he shook his head. “He just doesn’t know how to take care of things.” he pitied.

 

 

Red could see Dixon coming to work from his office window. Every day, every morning, he enters the police station building in the right proper attire, his back naturally straighten, and with policeman-like movement.

Red wondered what Pamela would think if she knew this. Although she had already recovered from the injuries inflicted by Dixon, she has not yet recovered from mental problems. As an employer and also a friend, Red visited Pamela to see how she was doing. She was a bright and energetic young girl with a straight and powerful heart, so when all of those positive sources turned into hatred, it was very strong.

She gave a lots of Fwords and curses to Dixon with no hesitation, also told him about her plan to sue the racist cop with her parents' cooperation. She also added proudly, “As a first step, We made him promised never ever to appear in front of me, forever, until he dies and afterwards.”

Red hadn’t made such a fuss between he and the cop. Why? Because He forgave Dixon right away, saying “That's enough.” and “It passed already.” Red could demand anything. He had the right but didn't.

Red told her, “I’m not going to do anything about it.” Pam looked totally incomprehensible.

 

 

────────

 

 

When nothing to address in the office Red feels annoyed. Every time he can’t stop thinking about something that can't be helped. As soon as the clock struck, Red pulled down all the blinds, turned off the lights, closed the office, and headed for the bar as usual.

It is a typical Wednesday night. There were a few people only to kill time in the quiet bar. The bartender is watching the TV hung on the shelf doing nothing.

Red found several people were peering into the newspaper James holds. As Red approached, he looked up and said, “Hey, you should see this, there’s something”. James gave Red a look.

“It’s about clay shooting.” He said.

“Clay shooting?" Red repeated with questioning look.

“The match was held every year for each jurisdiction in the state, do you even know that? And this year our policemen got third place or whatever."

“Did you say “clay shooting?””

“Don't be stupid. It says so here."

In the evening paper James presented, there was a small article with rough black and white pictures.  
The headline says, ── _Splendid, Ebbing Police Officer Dixon._

“We probably need to celebrate for it.” said James, putting his hand to his chin and looking thoughtful. “I'm not talking about him. This is a celebration for the town.”

“Yeah, right.” Red muttered hollow. And the very person to be celebrated had not appeared in the bar lately.

Red knew nothing about clay shooting.  
Annual competitions? What do they shoot at? What the fuck is ‘clay’? A pot?  ──So you were too busy to show up anywhere in the world. Now I know I've been looking at the entrance of the station for so long for nothing.

Red closed his eyes. The little hope that there might be something to cheer him up tonight just have disappeared.

When James asked “Where are you going?”, the young man replied simply “Goin' home.” and opened the door. Boring darkness and brisk air were waiting for him outside. He sighed deeply.

When Red flicked his phone to check the time, he found a message. Red bit his nails.

 

 

────────

 

 

Dixon was working overtime that night. In the pitch-dark police station, he was sitting at his desk fighting a pile of paper.

He learned for the first time that the harder he works, the more he gets. There were too many things to report, and he felt like he is neglecting more important things that he really need to worry about, and felt restless too.

“Calm down, calm, down” he said. When you calm down, you should see something.

As he reached for the files piled up by the window, he saw something moving at the edge of his field of vision. On the other side of the empty street, under the streetlights, he saw a tall man smoking a cigarette. The man is wearing a panama hat even at night. Because of that, Dixon couldn’trecognize his face well. He sometimes checks his watch so he seemed to be waiting for someone. A classic Chevrolet sedan was parked few yards away from him.

Dixon was seeing all those scenery as he was doing his paper work. Then, from across the street, a well-acquainted young man appeared. It was Red. The white skin and freckles seen from the folded shirt reflects the light. Enchanted by a strange premonition, Dixon put down his pen and watching them carefully.

Rushing to the man in the panama hat, Red said something. The man dropped a cigarette on the ground, twisted it with his heel and made his posture straight to look down at the young man. His hat cast a shadow on the man's face. His mouth and lower jaw were the only objects that could be seen clearly from Dixon’s side. And his outstretched shoulders and stout stature gave Dixon great impression of majesty kind, and the appearance of Red beside him made him look even more vulnerable.

While they were exchanging short words, the man suddenly slapped Red’s cheek without warning. While the young man stayed silent, the man in the hat grabbed the collar of Red’s shirt and pulled it roughly.

In an atmosphere so grim and inconceivable, Dixon leapt reflexively into the street and shouted. “Hey!”

Both turned to his voices at the same time, but Red was the only one who turned pale when he recognized the policeman's existence . The man glanced at Dixon and suddenly went deadpan expression. He whispered to the young man “I’ll call you again.” then walked away. He didn’t even care Dixon’s presence for a bit. His fancy Chevrolet made harsh noise and smoothly disappeared into the darkness. Listening to the roar of the engine, the young man left gazing at the direction of the taillights.

 

“Are you all right?”

“Of course I’m fine.” said Red trying not to catch Dixon’s eyes. “It's just a fuss, typical thing between men. Don’t you think any other stuff?”

“..If you say so.”

As he made himself straight, Red tried to changed the odd mood with brighter voice.

“Were you still working that late?”

“──Ah, well"

“What?”

“Who is that man?"

The young man's efforts came to nothing. A relentless silence dominates again between them and both don’t know what to say. Dixon felt like they are at bottom of the deep ocean.

“I’m used to be treated like that.” said Red at last.

“At first everything seems to work perfectly. It’s firm and taut and also lovely. But eventually they turned inside out, in the end it ends in the same way as it had been once. ──Tell me Dixon. Do you see anything around me or inside me that makes them want to ruin the situation with their fist?”

The man had no idea what to reply.

“‘ _Living on the earth as a humanbeing is so hard and harsh._ ’” Red quoted a passage from a classic novel, but Dixon doesn't know what it was.

“I’ll give you a ride.” hedoesn’t have any other word. “We all know Ebbing is a dangerous town.”

and walked away towards parking lot before Red said something.

Red closed his eyes. And took a deep breath. He inhaled and exhaled deeply and slowly as id he tests his body function. He stroked his shortened thumb nails with the tip of his index finger several times. He has told himself many times that he must stop biting his nails. And pitied himself for not being able to keep even a little oath.

When he opened his eyes again, a police car with the door opened was there in front of him.

 

 

────────

 

 

The car continued to move forward with intolerable silence. Besides Dixon often took the wrong direction, making a long detour to come back to the same place and repeated it over and over.

Red didn’t say anything. His blue eyes kept seeing outside of the car window but finally gave up the monotonous scene and looked back to the man sitting next to him.

“I haven’t seen you lately.” he said. “You must have avoided seeing me.”

It was like a try. To challengethe man’s courage whether to take it or turn it back with deception. However his response was neither of them, and it was worse than Red has expected. He can’t believe that Dixon pretended not hearing him.

“Red,What’s the exact street name of your──”

 

Red quickly unfastened his seatbelt and pull the door handle without hesitation. He couldn’t jump out from the car because of the door lock. Dixon hurriedly pulled over his car to the side of the road and grabbed Red by the shoulder, but the young man shook off Dixon’s arm and glared at him.

“I’ll walk. I could never ever reach home by your driving.” He was mad. his face was pale and his countenance more stiffly than Dixon had ever seen.

“Red, I'm sorry."

“No matter how many times you apologize, nothing will change. My body hurts. It suffers me every day, you know that? I groan on every rainy days, and I still go to rehabilitation every week. I want to move forward, but things never allow me so.”

It was clear that Red reached the critical point. His tearful expression of distress shook Dixon’s heart heavily.

“You don't know, do you? Forgiving is way more harder than apologizing.” said Red. and seized Dixon by the collar and pulled him. “I often got held like this. You should used to it. That's all what it──”

"Okay, I won't apologize ever again.” Dixon interrupted him. “This is the last time." said Dixon gazing closely at the young man's eyes. He tried to express his honest words with sincerity, but Red's clenched fist never loosened.

“Clay shooting.”

“What?”

“Why didn't you tell me about clay shooting?"

“I.. I didn't think anyone was interested in it."

“It doesn’t matter what you think!” Red almost shouted. As Dixon got pushed back, the young man moved closer and kept telling him the effusive emotions.

"You'll take me home. Then I say thank you for the ride and not telling you how about coffee or something because 'm not that polite, just tell you good bye forever.So you’ll return the car to the station and go back to the house where your beloved mom is waiting for, eat her food, take a shower, drink as much as you want, sleep and forget everything. What you saw today, what you heard today, and everything you’ve ever done, just let them go.” Red quivered. “and, as you were before, talk to me like a fool.”

Dixon looked at his excited eyes in agony. He looked at his eyebrows crouching in pain.

Words vanished into the swirling emotions. Just like the different poles of the magnets drew into each other, as Dixon narrowed the distance to Red in a few inches, he felt things became very simple.

The little touch was only for a split second. But Red instantly bite him back a kiss. They followed their natural instinct.

“I can't sleep at all because of the scars you gave me.” It was a sad cry asking for help. “It’s you, you did it.”

“That's, that is why I’m here, for you.” said Dixon unconfidently but still firmly. “Let me take care of it.”

Red shook his head and closed his eyes again.

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
